Reflections
by Maithduine
Summary: Alex deals with losing Brandon, and reflects on his fears about fighting Dr. X.


Okay guys, this is my first fan fiction ever, so be nice! I love Action Man, but I don't own it. That honor belongs to Mainframe. I just used their ideas. Many of the character traits in here either come from just watching the show, or from the character descriptions on the Fox Kids website. This story takes place immediately after the episode Out of the Shadows, and contains spoilers for both it, and Into the Abyss. This fills in what I thought was missing, like Alex's reaction to Fidget's crash, and it bugged me that Alex, after all he had done to save Brandon, came to terms with his loss so quickly. Okay, I'm done rambling, read, review, and enjoy!  
  
Reflections  
by Heather  
  
Alex Mann sighed and ran his hand through his chestnut brown hair. Seating himself on the ground, he stared at the stars glittering above. Thumps resounded from inside Big Air, the teams carrier plane, but he paid them no heed. Fidget was probably up to something, and Ricky was probably give her a hard time about it, but he would let Grinder referee this one. Truth be told, he was done helping people today. Reflecting on the day's events, he didn't seem to be to good at it anyway. Brandon was gone. Alex had promised him he would fix things, but he didn't, couldn't. Alex slammed his fist into the side of the plane. What was the point of his new found "power" if he couldn't even help someone who needed him? Who had specifically come to him for help?  
"All right there mate?" A distinctly British accent drifted through the darkness. Grinder inspected the plane's side next to Alex, and when satisfied it wouldn't need repairs, dropped to the ground next to him. "Brandon already messed up the bike, I wouldn't want to have to fix Big Air too."  
"Brandon, didn't touch the bike," Alex said quickly, looking away.  
"No, I suppose he didn't," Grinder agreed quietly. "Is that why you've taken this sudden interest in the Australian sky?"  
Alex sighed again. He had come out here to be alone with his thoughts, but on Team Xtreme privacy was practically non-existent. They all lived, ate, and slept within a few feet of each other, none of them were ever really alone. Of course, the benefit of that was no one ever went through anything alone either. He should have known one of the guys would be out here checking up on him, and it was no surprise that Grinder had been the one to do so. The tall Brit had been his closest friend for years, and had even introduced him to the games he was now so famous for. Beyond that, Grinder was the most empathetic of the group, the rock the team leaned on in times of crisis. Remembering he had been asked a question, Alex shook himself out of his revere. "I should have saved him," he spoke, nearly whispering.  
The other man raised an eyebrow and stared at Alex. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't you venture into an underwater lab, known hide-away of your sworn enemy, in an attempt to do just that?"  
Alex stared right back. "But it didn't work, the download took place anyway, all because we handed Brandon right over to Dr. X. Now what I can't figure out is, my adrenaline was going the whole time, so why didn't the AMP factor kick in until it was too late?" Alex's usually bright blue eyes had grown dark as his eyebrows came together in a frown of confusion.  
"I don't pretend to understand your powers A-Man," Grinder began softly, "but from what you and your friend Grey tell us, the AMP factor shows you every possible option. Now consider this, what happens when there are none to be shown?" He let this question hang in the air as he directed his attention to the stars above.  
Alex pondered that for a moment before moving to the next topic that disturbed him. "The download was disrupted when the lab sunk and I grabbed Brandon. Well, what I thought was Brandon. What if, I mean, could it be possible that somewhere behind Dr. X's mind, Brandon's still alive? And if he is, how can I fight Dr. X, when Brandon is trapped within him?"  
Grinder considered carefully before replying, "There may be a chance mate, but he risked everything, even crashing an eight-teen wheeler, just to escape from Dr. X's control. I think he'd be the first person to tell you, stopping Dr. X is the first priority, no matter what the cost."  
Alex had just sat back when Vinnie, Fidget's pet iguana, darted into his lap, interrupting his train of thought. "What are you doing out here?" Alex chuckled, picking up the reptile.  
"Avoiding Rikkie's wrath," an amused voice replied. Fidget Wilson flashed her friends a grin as she trotted over. "Vinnie got into the closet and knocked over your snow board. He didn't hurt it, but you know how Rikkie gets about team equipment."  
"I've been there," Alex commented dryly to the lizard, handing him to Fidge. "How are your shoulders?" he asked her suddenly.  
"They're a little sore, but what can you expect after hanging upside-down from a seat-belt for fifteen minutes?" He looked at her concerned, and she sighed. "I'm fine Alex. Chill." Briefly Alex remembered the events of the day, from Rikkie collapsing to Fidget crashing in Little Wing. He shuddered, remembering Rikkie lying on the table, burning with fever. Fresh in his mind was Fidge announcing she had been hit, her screams over the headset, and the tense moments before she informed them she was all right. The true danger of his war with Dr. X was that while the madman targeted Alex, he had lousy aim. The fact that Brandon had been taken was bad enough, but how long could he keep his makeshift family safe?  
Fidget nudged him gently with her foot. "I think the cost is clear, I'm heading for bed, it's been a long day. You guys coming?"  
Grinder picked himself off the ground and dusted off his pants. "Yeah, I'll turn in too. What about you A-Man, had enough for one day?"  
"You guys go ahead, I'll catch up in a moment."  
"Don't take to long, Rikkie wants an early takeoff time tomorrow," Fidget told him, rolling her eyes. 'Early' was not her favorite time of day, and the engine noise often made it hard to sleep, though it didn't stop her from trying. She turned and headed towards the light emanating from the doorway to the plane with Grinder in tow. Just before heading in, she turned back to him. "Alex?" she called. He raised his head to look at her. "I am sorry about Brandon. If you ever wanna talk..."  
"Thanks Fidge," he smiled at his 'little sister,' "I think I'll be okay."  
She smiled back and went inside. Alex pulled at a promotional photo that had been taken a few months before. It was of the American Acceleration champions, and featured Brandon and himself standing side by side, leaning on their skateboards. Alex then produced a photo of Team Xtreme from his wallet, taken a few weeks ago. He stood in the center with Grinder behind him, holding some gadget, Rikkie stood to the left, laptop tucked under one arm, and Fidget to his right, her camera in her hand. He suddenly knew that he could not let Dr. X get them, he couldn't lose them too. As a breeze drifted across the Australian outback, Alex let it catch his and Brandon's promotional shot and carry it away. Looking up at the stars Alex said good-bye to his former rival and friend. He made a promise, to both Brandon and himself. "I failed you, but Team Xtreme will fight to stop Dr. X, and I will keep them safe. I don't care what it takes, I'll protect them with my life. It won't happen again Brandon. Never again."  
Rikkie stuck his head out the door. "Alex? Come on, we've got a,"  
"Early takeoff time. Fidget told me, I'm coming." Alex gave one last look at the night sky, then followed Rikkie back to his friends, his family, and knew he had told Fidget the truth. As long as he had them, he would be okay.  
  



End file.
